Ontario man shocked when engine not covered under warranty due to 'over revving'

A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been “over-revving” the engine.

Twenty-year-old Christian Matzoros bought a 2022 Hyundai Elantra N two years ago and paid extra for an extended warranty and felt he had coverage for seven years or 140,000 kilometres.

Matzoros said he bought that particular car because it was the sport model made for performance driving.

"It is their track model and it is designed for the track and track use. It has a two litre turbo and it's equipped with a six speed manual transmission,” said Matzoros.

In June of this year, while he was driving home, his car’s engine failed at 46,000 kilometres.

Matzoros said he was on the highway when all of a sudden the car became unresponsive.

“It just stopped. I was stepping on the gas pedal and it wasn’t moving,” said Matzoros, adding that the cost to repair the engine is about $10,000 plus tax.

For the past three months, the car has been sitting at a Hyundai dealership because after reviewing the vehicle's data through the engine control unit, it was determined the car had been abused and the engine had been red-lined multiple times.

Matzoros told CTV News he has taken the car several times to the Toronto Motorsports Park at Cayuga to race the quarter mile.

“The car has been to the track, but that is not when this incident occurred. I was driving home when it blew up,” said Matzoros.

When CTV News reached out to Hyundai Canada a spokesperson said “Hyundai Canada has conducted a thorough investigation into the matter involving Mr. Matzoros' Elantra N. After reviewing the vehicle's engine data, which was retrieved through the Engine Control Unit (ECU) – a system that monitors and records engine performance for diagnostic purposes – it was determined the engine experienced conditions exceeding its designed operational limits, resulting in significant mechanical failure. These findings point to excessive engine revving, which falls outside the coverage of the vehicle's warranty due to improper use.”

“The warranty for Hyundai vehicles covers defects in materials and workmanship under normal usage conditions. Damage caused by misuse, including exceeding the vehicle’s mechanical limits, is not covered. In this instance, the excessive stress caused by significantly exceeding the maximum recommended RPMs on multiple occasions falls outside the warranty parameters. We have provided a full explanation to Mr. Matzoros regarding the cause of the issue and the reasons for this decision.”

Matzoros said he was concerned the car was also under recall for a high pressure fuel pump and despite being denied he still feels Hyundai should repair the engine.

“I want Hyundai to cover this motor, especially because I did purchase the extended warranty and $10,000 is a lot of money," said Matzoros.

With new technology, most dealerships can plug into your car and see the kind of driving you've been doing. It's a reminder to be careful not to "over-rev" your engine or your warranty could be denied.